Turquoise and Silver Ring by Zuni Pueblo Silversmith Horace Iule [SOLD]

Legendary Zuni silversmith Horace Iule placed two high-grade turquoise gemstones in handmade bezels on a solid silver platform in this mid- twentieth century ring.  Two small silver drops were set in between the turquoise which is resting on a solid silver shank.  This ring is signed with his hallmark H.IULE.

In “Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry: Artists, Traders, Guilds and the Government”, authors Pat and Kim Messier write that: “Horace Iule attended Phoenix Indian School in the early 1920s and was trained as a blacksmith. Upon his return to Zuni, he was not able to find sufficient work, so his father—whose father, Sneezing Man, was one of the earliest silversmiths at Zuni—taught him silversmithing. By 1924, Iule was skilled enough to take a position teaching silversmithing at Zuni Day School, where he remained until the late 1930s. 

Iule (1899-1978) was able to make a living solely from his silversmith skills, and in the late 1930s, he was regarded as one of the best silversmiths in the village. His training as a blacksmith allowed him to fabricate tools for his own use as well as for sale to other silversmiths. One of the most versatile smiths, he could make wrought spoons, ashtrays, or row bracelets hammered from ingots; he cut and polished turquoise by hand; and he was one of the few Zunis who made large hand-hammered pieces with stamped decorations. Yet Horace Iule is best known for his cast pieces.”

Condition: the ring is in excellent condition. 

Provenance: this Turquoise and Silver Ring by Zuni Pueblo Silversmith Horace Iule is from a collection in Oklahoma

Recommended Reading: Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry: Artists, Traders, Guilds and the Government by Pat and Kim Messier

Relative Links: Zuni Pueblo, Wilbur Iule, Southwest Indian Jewelry, Horace Iule, Zuni Pueblo Jeweler